For wee babies experiencing their first Halloween, I think the baby carrier costume is the most practical (that is, if you leave the house). Your baby is cozy and snug against you and you have your hands free. Here are a few adorable sling costumes to try: Spider: add white or silver (or glow-in-the-dark) web […]

I wanted to make a huge iPhone that could be used as a costume on Halloween by attaching it to a stroller or car seat. My daughter was my helper, so she got to be the first model for the finished product, even though she is too big for a stroller. Materials needed: Piece of […]

Thanks to Stef from AskANanny.com for this guest post. While an activity gym can be a great choice for unrestricted play, some can overwhelm babies of certain ages. How do you make one of these playmats work for your baby, plus get more bang for your buck as they grow? Today we’ve got two activity […]

When I was still able to control her social life, I steered Scarlett’s fourth birthday party toward a Super Girl theme. As my girl has grown older, the threat of her being “eaten by princesses” has grown, too. This article on Huffington Post about how we must engage little girls in conversations about things other […]

We had a board book that I didn’t like too much. The illustrations were too wishy washy and there were too many words. We also had a board book that I loved, by Todd Parr, called This is My Hair. Bold illustrations and simple text. Plus funny. I decided I wanted the first book to […]

You probably did nice things to your baby’s room to get it ready for him. How about your own bedroom? Make a small change that will make you happy in your sleeping space. Move a piece of furniture, hang something on the wall, or get rid of a clutter pile. (I didn’t say clean up […]

Ugh. We are not THERE yet. We are so close. In fact, 12 months ago, I thought we were super duper ticking-time-bomb close because my not-yet-two-year old was so interested in pooping in the potty. Fast forward a year and he’s still quite interested in #2 because he gets to trade $h1# for candy. But peeing […]

My daughter had her 7th birthday party at Pump It Up, a colorful warehouse outfitted with numerous inflatable jumpy things. This operation is a birthday party machine. Parents need not lift a finger during the party; the children’s shoes and the parents purses are even carted along on a shelf with wheels as the party […]

What’s the difference between a third child and a first child? The first child has a “Star Wars fourth birthday party” and he’s never seen Star Wars. The third child can hum along the Clone Wars theme song before he can even speak. With a new Star Wars movie on the horizon and Clone Wars […]

I love following my friend Rachelle on Instagram because she is always doing simple, yet brilliant, things with her kids. Last year she started tagging her Instagram photos with the hashtag #creativetable to indicate a practice of putting a few compelling materials on a blank table as an invitation for her daughters to “tinker.” Some […]

It’s my pleasure to introduce Steph from Modern Parents Messy Kids as our guest contributor today! Thanks so much to Heather and Whitney for having me today, it’s such an honor to be here sharing with all of you! Recently over at Modern Parents Messy Kids, we’ve embarked on a small little adventure we’re calling […]

When my step-dad turned 50, I gave him a framed black and white photograph of the venue where he married my mom, a Spanish-style courthouse in Santa Barbara, CA. I bought it on one of the stock photography sites and had it framed. Whether or not a photograph is your style or you are more […]